Westinghouse European trainee program

Westinghouse Electric Company is proud of giving its employees the possibility to work and act globally. The company's European Trainee Program provides an opportunity to work within different fields of business within Westinghouse, participating in a wide range of projects and experiencing and learning from the different cultures of the company. In 2006 the first Trainee Program started with seven Swedish Trainees. During these eighteen months they worked 12 months in Sweden and then went off to six-month-assignments in France and in the US. In April 2008, the first European Trainee Program was launched with ten Trainees from four different countries: five from Sweden, two from Germany, two from Spain and one from Belgium. As with the previous program, its length was eighteen months. During the first year, the European Trainees had the opportunity to work in various areas within their country of hire, as well as to visit different Westinghouse headquarters in Europe and the US to learn more about the global business. Their kick-off session took place in Vaesteraas, Sweden in April 2008. During four days, the Trainees participated in group dynamic exercises as well as presentations of the business of Westinghouse abroad and in Sweden. Two of the most interesting parts of this session were the visits to the Fuel Factory and to the Field Services mock-ups. The second session took place in June 2008 in Monroeville, Pennsylvania (USA), where Westinghouse had its main headquarters, nowadays located in Cranberry, PA. During two weeks, the trainees got to know even more about Westinghouse through visits, lectures and forums for open discussions. The visits comprised for example the tubing factory at Blairsville, the Field Services main headquarters in Madison and the George Westinghouse Research and Technology Park near Pittsburgh. The meetings included presentations of each Westinghouse business unit, detailed information about future projects and round table discussions with managers. The third session occurred in September 2008 in Madrid, Spain. During four days, the Trainees attended presentations about the business of Westinghouse in Spain, as well as various technical and management courses. Highlights of the week included the visit of 'El Cabril', the Spanish low-level waste disposal and Cordoba, one of Spain's most beautiful cities. The next session took place in Nivelles, Belgium, in December 2008. During five days the Trainees took some useful management courses and got a good overview of the activities of Westinghouse Belgium. The Trainees also visited one of the most important research centers in Europe: the SKC-CEN as well as the controlled area of Field Services. The last session took place in Mannheim, Germany, in February 2009. During four days the Trainees took some further management-related courses and got to know Westinghouse Germany a little more. They also had the opportunity to visit a nuclear power plant in operation, which was both really interesting and very useful. For the last six months of the program, the Trainees were able to choose a location for their international assignment: two Trainees went to the US, two went to Belgium, two went to Spain and one each went to Sweden, Germany, UK and France. In October 2009 a new wave of the European Trainee Program started, with trainees from Sweden, Spain, Germany, Belgium and France as well. The program has the same basic outline as before. The Trainees have the opportunity to become acquainted with Westinghouse during 18 months with the most part of the program spent in the country of hire, and the last six months on abroad assignment. The European Trainee Program gave the trainees the chance to work in an international environment for one year and a half. During the time based in their country of hire, they all tried different departments and projects to get to know more about the work being performed. It gave them also the chance to work with different managers and colleagues. During the visits to the different headquarters the trainees got a very good overview of Westinghouse's activities around the world and got familiar with the company's philosophy and way of work. It was also a fantastic opportunity to meet high level managers and visit interesting places related to Westinghouse business and the nuclear industry. One of the most valuable parts of the program was the experience of being part of a group with people of different cultures. It was a useful insight to see how different even European cultures can be in the way of doing business. The international assignment was of course also a good way of broadening the mind to different ways of working. It was also a great opportunity of networking for the future. This will definitely be useful in sharing opportunities and knowledge across different countries. (authors)